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diplomacyAug 17, 2026

Russian court sentences anti-war politician Shlosberg to 11 years in jail

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A Russian court on Monday sentenced prominent opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison over his criticism of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The 63-year-old is among the very few Kremlin opponents who remained in Russia after it launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent following the 2022 Ukraine assault. The court in Pskov, northwestern Russia, found the deputy head of the Yabloko party guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," sentencing him to "11 years and 1 month of imprisonment." Photo: AFP Shlosberg, when asked by the judge whether he understood the verdict, said: "I feel sorry for you, Your Honour, you have to live with this." Yabloko leaders Nikolay Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky called the ruling "the tragedy of the disintegration of modern Russian justice" and said the party would seek an end to Shlosberg’s prosecution by all lawful means. Last week, Yabloko, Russia’s only anti-war party still functioning in the country, was barred from running in the September legislative elections and is appealing the ruling on Monday. Rights group Amnesty International said Shlosberg’s "arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace". Shlosberg has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and was charged over his participation in an online debate on the war as well as for sharing critical articles about it. The longtime Kremlin opponent has denounced Moscow’s actions in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine. Russia has criminalised criticism of its offensive in Ukraine, with laws punishing "discrediting" the army and spreading "false information" about it carrying sentences of up to 15 years. Most of President Vladimir Putin’s opponents are dead, jailed or exiled. ‘UNITED FRONT’ TACTICS: Beijing is pressuring Taiwanese politicians to block the Executive Yuan’s proposed special act to fund military uncrewed vehicles, a source said The Legislative Yuan is slated to hold cross-caucus negotiations on 14 versions of a draft uncrewed vehicle act on Thursday, amid rumors that Beijing is pressuring some Taiwanese politicians to block passage of a special bill proposed by the Ministry of National Defense to procure military drones and uncrewed vessels. A source in Beijing said the Chinese Communist Party has been using its United Front Work Department and Taiwan Affairs Office to pressure Taiwanese politicians who are friendly toward Beijing, pushing them to block the Executive Yuan’s proposed special act to fund military uncrewed vehicles. The proposed legislation would allocate The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and other opposition politicians are “taking Taiwan’s democracy hostage” for selfish gain, The Economist said in a column published online on Tuesday. “Taiwan’s freedoms should be a strength, raising the costs to China of a takeover. Shamefully, they are being betrayed from within,” the British news magazine said. While a lot of countries have toxic politicians, Taiwan’s stand out as particularly irresponsible, and “the blame is not evenly distributed,” it said. Although President William Lai (賴清德) is stubborn and, unlike his predecessor, does not consult KMT moderates, the opposition has triggered a “rolling constitutional crisis,” CHINESE INFLUENCE? The TPP denied any knowledge that the Chinese immigrant had been reporting to Beijing or that she had participated in the party’s decisionmaking The New Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) to seven years in prison for fraud, helping Chinese nationals illegally enter Taiwan and acting at Beijing’s direction to influence Taiwanese politics. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said it found that Xu and Cross-Strait Marriage Harmony Promotion Association chairman Chung Chin-ming (鍾錦明) had maintained long-term contact with Yang Wentao (楊文濤), director of the Cross-Strait Marriage and Family Service Center, and Sun Xian (孫憲), vice director of the Shanghai China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification. Prosecutors accused Xu and Chung of accepting instructions to campaign for certain ‘PROVOCATION’: The China-Indonesia joint exercise aims to create a false impression that China has jurisdiction over waters east of Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council said The Indonesian Navy yesterday said that joint naval exercises that China said took place east of Taiwan were routine and not related to “war fighting,” after Taipei expressed alarm and called them dangerous. China in June began coast guard patrols off Taiwan’s east coast, causing anger in Taipei and concern in Washington and some other Western capitals. The drill, which China described as a “navigation exercise,” was the first time the country has carried out such an operation with a foreign military in those waters. China’s military said Chinese and Indonesian navy vessels concluded the drill in the waters east

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    A Russian court on Monday sentenced prominent opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison over his criticism of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The 63-year-old is among the very few Kremlin opponents who remained in Russia after it launched a sweeping crackdown on di

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diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
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Key points: Bitcoin diverges from US stocks as Trump says Strait of Hormuz “open” Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD building on the week’s gains as the S&P 500 bounced from 7,696, its lowest level since Aug. 4. BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView This came after US president Donald Trump posted a map of the closed Strait of Hormuz oil route to Truth Social where it was labeled “new US territory.

” Both the US and Iran lay claim to control of Hormuz, with Trump threatening US ally Oman with military action over its plans to work with Iran on charging tolls to shipping traffic. In a subsequent post, Trump confirmed that further diplomacy with Iran was not on the agenda.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he wrote. S&P 500 one-day chart.

Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView As on Monday, oil avoided major volatility, with WTI crude down 1% at the time of writing at $84 per barrel. US government bonds continued to show strain, with the 30-year yield hitting 5.34%, its highest since January 2007.

“Bond prices are sending warnings,” BNY Mellon analyst Geoff Yu wrote in a research note quoted by the New York Times. Yu said that the surge came as “investors demand more compensation for inflation risk,” while also attributing the upside to government borrowing.

US 30-year bond yields one-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView BTC price faces crunch rebound test Updating X followers on BTC/USD, trader and analyst Aksel Kibar eyed the culmination of a potential reverse head-and-shoulders pattern at $62,300.

Related: Bitcoin price spike to $64.5K was ‘low-volume liquidity trap’: Analysis “If $BTCUSD is going to rebound, it has to come from here,” he argued on Monday. Kibar offered a $53,000 target in the event of the head-and-shoulders structure failing, with $76,000 a potential upside target should the rebound sustain.

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Aksel Kibar on X.com Previously, Cointelegraph reported that underwater investors were contributing to Bitcoin’s inability to break higher. Its rebound to $64,500 also stopped short of an overhead trend line, the 50-month exponential moving average (EMA).

This moving average is now in place as resistance at $65,827.

Location: Strait of Hormuz
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
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Trump says no talks underway with Iran, Hormuz blockade remains in place US president says no discussions are taking place or planned with Tehran and reiterates that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains fully operational Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran and that no discussions are currently scheduled between the two countries.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump also said the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains "in full force and effect." The president did not provide further details regarding US policy towards Iran or any potential future diplomatic engagement.

Trump's comments come amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed focus on security and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.

Location: Tehran
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran had “won both the war and diplomacy,” claiming those who initially sought Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” later sought negotiations. Speaking at an event, Araghchi said Iran resisted for days against what he described as “the world’s largest apparent military,” alongside another army claiming military power and with the support of nearly all Western countries and some other states inside and outside the region, according to the Tasnim news agency.

“Those who were seeking unconditional surrender, shortly after the war began, begged for negotiations,” Araghchi said. He claimed Tehran initially rejected a ceasefire and continued fighting until reaching a point where the other side accepted a ceasefire and negotiations “on Iran’s terms.

” “We fought with strength, and we negotiated with strength,” he said, adding that many foreign ministers had told him: “You won both the war and diplomacy.” Araghchi’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump called on Iran on Monday to give up and “raise the white flag.

Location: Tehran
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
1 source

- Iran demands US lift sanctions and return frozen assets to reopen Strait of Hormuz - Iran's Parliament Speaker warns closure of Strait continues until US ends military threats - Around 20% of global oil supply passes through the Strait, impacting energy security Iran has warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US meets a set of conditions, including the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to oil sanctions and what Tehran describes as a US blockade and military threats.

Al-Arabiya English reported that Iran's Parliament Speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Trump administration must meet the conditions before Tehran considers reopening the strategic waterway. “Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Ghalibaf said.

Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. pic.twitter.com/fl2RrKnT1R— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) August 18, 2026 Ghalibaf also warned that Iran was prepared to respond more forcefully depending on the actions of its adversaries.

ALSO READ: 'We Control Hormuz': Trump To Declare Strait As US Territory? Here's What President Says The comments add a new condition to an already fragile diplomatic environment, with the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of concerns over global energy supplies.

Around one-fifth of global oil supply typically passes through the waterway, making any prolonged disruption a major risk for crude markets, shipping and energy security. Earlier, Press TV reported that Ghalibaf is scheduled to travel to Baghdad on Wednesday at the head of a high-level Iranian delegation for discussions with Iraqi leaders.

The talks are expected to cover regional developments and bilateral cooperation, including border security, counterterrorism, economic ties and implementation of existing agreements. Iraqi media have also reported that the agenda could include a proposal concerning Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

The visit comes as regional governments grapple with the implications of continued disruption in one of the world's most important energy corridors. ALSO READ: Hormuz Tensions: Another Ship Hit By Unknown Projectile, Says UKMTO Centre The security situation in the waterway has also remained tense.

The UK's Maritime Trade Operations agency, or UKMTO, said a vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. “The Company Security Officer has reported that the vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz,” UKMTO said.

The impact damaged the vessel's engine room and resulted in a crew casualty, the agency said. The remaining crew was being assisted by the Omani coastguard. Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

Location: Tehran